Concerns raised over retail spaces proposed near Mount Forest No Frills

MOUNT FOREST – Some residents are worried adding two new retail spaces on Main Street will increase traffic and negatively impact the area. 

The concerns were raised at a public meeting in Wellington North Monday afternoon, which was held to discuss an application from developer CP REIT Ontario Properties Limited seeking to rezone 504 Main St. N. in Mount Forest and construct two new retail units on a vacant south portion of the lot totalling over 2,000 square metres. 

A report on the proposal says the existing No Frills, gas bar and parking lot are proposed to remain and site-specific standards for reduced parking requirements are also being proposed to accommodate a seasonal garden centre, which would reduce the proposed 311 parking spaces to 281 from May to August. 

The applicant's planner Rob MacFarlane said a fence is proposed to "provide landscaping and buffering" to the existing residential areas.

"The application is generally consistent with the surrounding area for the lands that front along Main Street," said MacFarlane. "In my view, it's an appropriate application to consider the continuation of that commercial function of the site." 

Asking questions about potential light pollution, resident Rob McArthur asked if there would be restrictions on when and how much light the retail spaces would be allowed to produce. 

Another delegate Catherine Finkle lives down the road from the proposed development and was concerned it would add to traffic in the area. 

Proposing an additional access on Sligo Road East, the report said existing accesses along Mount Forest Drive are proposed to remain the same while access on Main Street North would be modified to become a right turn in and out only.

"That corner is a nightmare already," said Finkle. "There's so much traffic being diverted into other subdivisions to bypass that corner so adding more congestion to that is a big mistake." 

CBO Darren Jones said the lighting will need to follow Wellington North Municipal Standards which require all exterior lighting to be dark sky compliant, directed onto the site and not infringe on adjacent properties.

MacFarlane cited the Traffic Impact Study in response to Finkle's concerns, which said all intersections and accesses are expected to "operate well" and have "no negligible impacts," and said he would bring her concern to the developer's traffic consultant.  

Coun. Penny Renken asked if the traffic study will consider horse and buggy traffic and what will happen to the existing horse and buggy parking area. 

She also asked if any residential development would be considered within the application. 

MacFarlane said more vacant land could be developed for commercial use in the future but that's "not being considered at this time." Keeping the existing horse and buggy access is proposed in the report. 

The bylaw will be considered at a future council meeting.

Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.